ad of us in this fun,
unless you get the mothers to meet once in a while to suggest things for
us to do," said Ruth, dolefully.

"And from something I heard Don tell Mete, those fathers have promised
to help the Bobolinks do the _work_, too!" broke in Dot Starr.

"Since Ned has moved his printing stuff to the carriage house his den is
vacant--we might use that for our Winter Nest, until we find something
better," suggested Mrs. Starr, after thinking seriously of what had just
been said.

"That will be all right, but it won't boost our work like the boys are
being boosted," fretted Norma.

"I shall have to think of it," replied Mrs. Talmage, deeply concerned
over the discontent of the Blue Birds; but Aunt Selina, who had been a
silent listener of the complaint, spoke.

"Are those Bobolinks and the men actually helping the success of the
magazine?"

"No, not that we can see; they just use paper and fool away every
evening running those machines," snapped Dot, who generally heard all
the doings from her brothers.

"Then they are not getting ahead so fast with success as you seem to
think," replied Aunt Selina, calmly. "The principal things in making a
magazine pay are its circulation and the advertising contracts. If these
are not being thought of and tried, the Bobolinks are wasting their
precious time."

"But they are so well acquainted with the machines that they say they
can print anything!" said Dot.

"All right, suppose we take them at their word and ask them to give us
proof of some circulars," laughed Mrs. Talmage.

"I suppose they would, but where would we use them?" asked Norma.

"This is what I would suggest--we'll play the game of the 'Tortoise and
the Hare,' and they'll be left asleep at their work while we win the
race," declared Aunt Selina.

The Blue Birds gathered closer to Aunt Selina's chair, and she continued
her instruction.

"We'll have Mother Wings write a letter and ask Mr. Wells to bring down
that Institution Book he promised us, as we wish to use it at once. Then
we'll count up the number of institutions where we could send a magazine
and circular. Some of these will subscribe most likely, while the
circular letter will reach the hands of some of the wealthy patrons of
the Homes. We'll compose a letter and order those Bobolinks to print ten
thousand for us. I guess that will keep them busy for a time and at the
same time make them wonder what _we_ are doing without their knowledge